However shocking this story may be, Kate says that she was making valid "political" and "social" points by including a corrupt and twisted officer.

She also insists that Neil is a "bad apple" and after working closely with the police as research, Corrie writers have painted the authorities in a good light.

Kate said: "I think that we’ve worked quite hard... to show that the police and those who support victims and survivors of this kind of abuse are in the main brilliant, highly trained, compassionate, professional and people who will work very, very hard to get justice.

Reflecting on the backlash, Kate concluded: "When you look at an episode in isolation, it’s easy to be reactive and say 'that’s a bad message... but when you look at it across the broader spectrum of episodes, it’s balanced."